Ethical clearance and written permission to conduct the study was obtained from the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (see Appendix Two). Thereafter, written permission was obtained from the Department of Health in Pietermaritzburg and from the Chief Nursing Service Manager and Theatre Manager at the private hospital selected to take part in the
research study (see Appendices Four and Six). The Department of Health, as one of the conditions in giving their approval for the study, has requested a copy of the research study.
It is noted that the researcher's prior professional training and experience as a theatre nurse, and her prior research study with the Department of Health (King, 2005a), may have contributed to gaining access to the hospital. Access may have been further
facilitated by the researcher stipulating that no costs or inconvenience were to be incurred by the hospital, and through the suggestion that the benefit to the hospital would be in terms of the results obtained and how these could be applied by middle and senior hospital management to aid in the recruitment and retention of nursing personnel in the operating theatre. A copy of the dissertation will thus be given to hospital management.
Gaining permission to conduct the study was a vital step in ensuring access to the institution, and further enabled the researcher access to the hospital's premises and information regarding personnel at the institution, i.e. the names of the registered nurses working in the operating theatre complex. All of the participants in this study were informed that the Department of Health and hospital management would be given copies of the study and that permission to conduct the study had been received from the relevant authorities in the covering letters sent to them (see more on ethical considerations
concerning confidentiality and anonymity below). This above process was necessary in order to show that:
• The rules and regulations with regard to the organisation had been complied with - in respect of conducting research on their premises.
• Management had given permission for the participant's details (names and current units that they were working on only) to be released to the researcher, and
• Those staff who wished to participate in the study were permitted to do so.
• The researcher was committed to being transparent in terms of to whom the study's results were to be fed back.
As stated previously the initial communication with participants was:
• Via the theatre manager and theatre secretary who informed their personnel of the research undertaking, thereby formally establishing the researcher' credentials;
• Via a notice on the staff notice board inviting potential participants to a focus group on workplace violence.
• Via a covering letter that was given to each registered nurse who potentially met the criteria for the study.
The participant covering letter (see Appendix Seven) explained the nature of the research study and emphasized that participation in the study was voluntary. Participants were advised that they could withdraw at any time from the study, and that their privacy and right to confidentiality and anonymity would not be breached in any way. This was particularly important since the perception had to be countered that the research study was instigated or aligned with hospital management, and thus fears of being victimized were allayed. Confidentiality was maintained by: ensuring that the names, identity, employee and contact numbers of the participants were not recorded on any of the transcripts, and by using pseudonyms on these documents. The participants' names, pseudonyms and contact details were kept in a safe, locked place away from the
transcripts. Participant anonymity was assured by suitably modifying any potentially recognizable workplace incidents. The anonymity of the organisation was additionally ensured by blanking out the organisation's identifying details in all correspondence entered into (see Appendices Five and Six).
Although participation in this study denoted the informed consent of the staff member concerned, written permission to record the interviews and written consent pertaining to their taking part in the study was further obtained from each participant. A consent form was attached to each covering letter and this was completed and signed by each
participant prior to the commencement of each interview. During the research process, the tapes were kept in a safe, locked place. The researcher's contact details, and
credentials were recorded in the covering letter, and this has given all of the participants the opportunity to contact the researcher if they wished to do so. Given that the research topic may have been experienced as traumatic and stressful for the study's participants, provision was made for free, professional counselling at the School of Psychology clinic.
The contact details for the Clinic Director were included in the participant covering letter.
After the research study was completed all of the participants' tapes and transcripts were destroyed by the researcher and a full set of transcripts without identificatory details were lodged with the researcher's supervisor as per University of KwaZulu-Natal ethical protocol. These transcripts will be kept for five years, kept in a secure, locked place.
After five years these will be destroyed by the researcher's supervisor. As stated
previously, a copy of the dissertation will be given to the Department of Health and to hospital management.